The desire for a better life is sometimes so big that it makes people leave their countries and their families and work in other countries. They know that they will have to face difficult moments，that they won’t be able to communicate with the persons around them，and that maybe they will have to work in illegal conditions to get the money they need for their families，but they all take these chances and they hope they will succeed.

On the other hand，there are people who immigrate(移民)just for the sake of the people they love. They leave their families to make other families with the people they love. Women go to meet their men who have chosen other countries to start a new life，even if they miss their families and friends. Maybe they don’t have a place to work but they are able to wait to see what destiny(命運) has for them.

There are also the cases of the people who are forced to leave their countries because of a war which threatens their lives. They’d rather start from the very beginning again than risk putting their lives in danger.

When well­developed countries see that their homeland is being “invaded” by lots of immigrants，they set new laws that make immigration harder. As a result of this，many illegal immigrants cross the borders and are eager to work，although they are paid only half the amount of money native workers receive for the same kind of job.

The opinions of the local people are varied and they range from total refusal to complete acceptance. Immigrants in countries which have large communities of them are fighting for the recognition of their social rights and for equal treatment.

Many immigrants have managed to be fully accepted by the communities where they live and have managed to change the opinions of the local people about them.

1.Which of the following reasons for immigration is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A．Escaping from a war.        B．Being reunited with the beloved people.

C．Seeking a better life.        D．Studying a foreign language.

2. What’s the usual response to immigrants in well­developed countries?

A．To accept them.            B．To put limitations on immigration.

C．To refuse them.            D．To encourage them.

3.The passage implies that ________.

A．culture shock causes great anxiety in some immigrants

B．illegal immigrants cause great damage to developed countries

C．stricter laws should be set to prevent immigration

D．many people go to other countries with great determination

 

Some scientists say that animals in the oceans are increasingly threatened by noise pollution caused by human beings.

The noise that affects sea creatures comes from a number of human activities. It is caused mainly by industrial underwater explosions, ocean drilling, and ship engines. Such noises are added to natural sounds. These sounds include the breaking of ice fields, underwater earthquakes, and sounds made by animals themselves.

Decibels (分貝) measured in water are different from those measured on land. A noise of one hundred and twenty decibels on land causes pain to human ears. In water, a decibel level of one hundred and ninety－five would have the same effect.

Some scientists have suggested setting a noise limit of one hundred and twenty decibels in the oceans. They have observed that noises at that level can frighten and confuse whales（鯨魚）.

A team of American and Canadian scientists discovered that louder noises can seriously injure some animals.

The research team found that powerful underwater explosions were causing whales in the area to lose their hearing. This seriously affected the whales' ability to exchange information and find their way. Some of the whales even died. The explosions had caused their ears to bleed and become infected(被感染的).

Many researchers whose work depends on ocean sounds are against a limit of one hundred and twenty decibels. They say such a limit would mean an end to important industrial and scientific research.

Scientists do not know how much and what kinds of noises are harmful to ocean animals. However, many scientists don’t think that noise is a greater danger than they believed. They want to prevent noises from harming creatures in the ocean.

1.According to the passage, which of the following is increasingly dangerous to sea creatures?

A. The sound of cars.

B. The sound of voices.

C. Man-made noise pollution.

D. The sound of steps.

2.According to the passage, natural sounds include all of the following EXCEPT________.

A. sounds made by animals themselves                        B. ocean drilling

C. underwater earthquakes                                            D. the breaking of ice fields

3.Which of the following is discussed in the third paragraph?

A. The same noise level produces a different effect on land and in the ocean.

B. Different places may have different types of noises.

C. The decibel is not a right unit (單位) for measuring underwater noise.

D. Different ocean animals may have different reactions to noises.

4. Which of the following is true of whales?      

A. They won't be confused by noises.

B. They are deaf to noises.

C. Their ability to reproduce will be lowered by high-level noises.

D. Their hearing will be damaged by high-level noises.

5.According to the passage, what will scientists most probably do in the future?

A. They will work hard to reduce ocean noise pollution.

B. They will protect animals from harmful noises.

C. They will try to set a limit of 120 decibels.

D. They will study the effect of ocean noise pollution.

 

Dear Cary,

I’m writing because I’ve understood you’ve struggled with alcoholism(酗酒)．I’ve been fighting mine ever since I went through 9-11．After that，I’ve been more or less useless professionally –I’m a lawyer–and have had to resign from my job because I was discovered passed-out drunk in front of my computer. I’ve taken some medicine and it has helped somewhat. I can manage about a month without drinking，but after that I end up having a crazy stage where nothing matters except drinking．After a week or so of heavy drinking，I start having nightmares of people jumping. After that，it’s a week of not being able to get out of bed.

   I was supposed to travel to a conference but didn’t make it because I got so drunk at the airport that I fell down on my face and spent the rest of the day in the emergency room. I have been hiding from my family since then．Fortunately they won’t be expecting me to come back for a week or so. Otherwise, they would notice the bump on my forehead and two black eyes．

I don’t really know what I’m asking you．Cary, I need a way out that doesn’t involve causing pain to my family．I’m taking medicine，but I still have these attacks every few months．If there’s alcohol in the house，I can’t stay away from it．It seems that this will never end. I’m afraid of what will happen if something bad happens，like a family member dying, or getting fired again．

  Thanks for reading．

  Yours T

1.The underlined sentence shows us all the following EXCEPT____________．

A．that the author is a lawyer by profession

B．that the author is a lawyer and he seldom gets drunk

C．the reason why the author had to resign

D．that the author was once discovered drunk as a fish

2.The author writes to Cary in order to____________．

A．offer advice                                                       B．tell a story

C．avoid nightmares                                               D．ask for help

3.What is the author worried about?

A．Losing his job                                                     B．Missing the conference

C．Bring pain to his family                                     D．Giving up drinking

4.What do we learn from the passage?

A．T’s family members don’t want to see him because of his alcoholism．

B．Getting drunk once prevented T from attending a conference．

C．T will have nightmares when he stops drinking．

D．T never attempted to give up his alcoholism．

5.We know from the passage that Cary____________．

A．likes to talk about the details of his life．

B．is an expert on treating alcoholism

C．is probably a recovered alcoholic

D．never suffered from alcoholism

 

Some of the United States’ biggest banks have closed their doors to students at community colleges, for-profit universities and other less competitive schools, even as they continue to extend government-backed loans to students at eh nation’s top universities.

Citibank has been among the most active in rebuilding the list of colleges it serves. JPMorgan Chase, PNC and SunTrust say have not dropped whole loan plans, but are cutting colleges. Some less-selective four-year colleges, like Eastern Oregon University and William Jessup University, say they have been dropped by some lenders.

The practice suggests  that if the credit crisis and poor conditions in the student loan business continue, some of the nation’s neediest students will be hurt most. The difficulty of borrowing money may keep them from attending school or force them to take a semester（學期） off.  For those who have got student loans, they will end up with less attractive terms and may run a greater risk of dropping out if they have to change lenders in the middle of their college year.

Tuition and loan amounts can be quite small at community colleges. But these institutions, which are a stepping stone to other educational programs or to better jobs, often draw students from the lower ranks of the economic classes. According to the most recent data, about a third of US graduates took out loans, a majority of them guaranteed by the government.

“If put too many obstacles in their way to get a loan, they ’ll take a third job or use a credit card,” said Jacqueline K. Bradley, assistant director for financial aid at Mendocino College. “That almost guarantees that they won’t be as successful in their college career.”

Some loan companies have stopped the students loan business entirely, viewing it as unprofitable in the current environment. Students attending first-class, expensive, public and private four-year universities can expect to remain plentiful. The banks generally say these loans are bigger, more profitable, and less risky, perhaps in part because the banks expect graduates from these universities to earn more.

So far, financial aid administrators say they have been able to find some lenders that students can switch to, but this is costly to students--- in money and time.

59. Who will be the most upset at the news?

A. A poor students at a top university.          B. A poor students at a community university.

C. A bank clerk dealing with student loan business.

D. A teacher from a for-profitable university.

60. With too many obstacles in their way to get a loan, students will probably __________.

A. switch to top universities                       B. cancel their credit cards

C. fail in their exams                                 D. win a scholarship

61. When they say something is “government-backed”, you mean it is ___________.

A. guaranteed by the government                B. dropped by the government

C. against government                               D. for government

62. What is the best title for the passage?

A. The students loan business in America.    B. Banks and universities in America.

C. Student loans start to drop colleges.        D. Credit crisis starts to affect loans.

      

Some scientists say that animals in the oceans are increasingly threatened by noise pollution caused by human beings.

The noise that affects sea creatures comes from a number of human activities. It is caused mainly by industrial underwater explosions, ocean drilling, and ship engines. Such noises are added to natural sounds. These sounds include the breaking of ice fields, underwater earthquakes, and sounds made by animals themselves.

Decibels (分貝) measured in water are different from those measured on land. A noise of one hundred and twenty decibels on land causes pain to human ears. In water, a decibel level of one hundred and ninety－five would have the same effect.

Some scientists have suggested setting a noise limit of one hundred and twenty decibels in the oceans. They have observed that noises at that level can frighten and confuse whales（鯨魚）.

A team of American and Canadian scientists discovered that louder noises can seriously injure some animals.

The research team found that powerful underwater explosions were causing whales in the area to lose their hearing. This seriously affected the whales' ability to exchange information and find their way. Some of the whales even died. The explosions had caused their ears to bleed and become infected(被感染的).

Many researchers whose work depends on ocean sounds are against a limit of one hundred and twenty decibels. They say such a limit would mean an end to important industrial and scientific research.

Scientists do not know how much and what kinds of noises are harmful to ocean animals. However, many scientists don’t think that noise is a greater danger than they believed. They want to prevent noises from harming creatures in the ocean.

36．According to the passage, which of the following is increasingly dangerous to sea creatures?

A. The sound of cars.

B. The sound of voices.

C. Man-made noise pollution.

D. The sound of steps.

37．According to the passage, natural sounds include all of the following EXCEPT________.

A. sounds made by animals themselves               B. ocean drilling

C. underwater earthquakes                                D. the breaking of ice fields

38．Which of the following is discussed in the third paragraph?

A. The same noise level produces a different effect on land and in the ocean.

B. Different places may have different types of noises.

C. The decibel is not a right unit (單位) for measuring underwater noise.

D. Different ocean animals may have different reactions to noises.

39． Which of the following is true of whales?  

A. They won't be confused by noises.

B. They are deaf to noises.

C. Their ability to reproduce will be lowered by high-level noises.

D. Their hearing will be damaged by high-level noises.

40．According to the passage, what will scientists most probably do in the future?

A. They will work hard to reduce ocean noise pollution.

B. They will protect animals from harmful noises.

C. They will try to set a limit of 120 decibels.

D. They will study the effect of ocean noise pollution.